now these are real lyrics. talib kweli's "the proud". such a rad song. for those that dont got the album. its quality. but just listenin to it now again and the song stands out as rad lyrics. all bout police and black rights and explainin the world to his kid.

[Talib Kweli]
The proud
Stand tall or don't stand at all, c'mon
Uhh, yeah
Break it down
What we do?

[Chorus]
We survive, it's more than pride
We stay alive, ready to ride

[Chorus] - repeat through intro

[Intro: Talib Kweli]
One two, one two yo
Aight.. put it down yo
June 21, 2001
Timothy McVeigh is executed
And the country breathe a sigh of relief
Goodness prevails over evil, it seems
Somehow when he's gone, we feel safer
Little do we know

[Verse One]
Today the paper say Timothy McVeigh's in hell
So everything's okay and all must be well
I remember Oklahoma when they put out the blaze
And put Islamic terrorist bombing, on the front page
It's like saying only gays get AIDS, propaganda
Like saying the problem's over when they locked that man up
Wrong! It's just the beginning, the first inning
Battle for America's soul, the devil's winning
The President is Bush, the Vice President's a Dick
So a whole lot of fuckin is what we gon' get
They don't wanna raise the babies so the election is fixed
That's why we don't be fuckin with politics
They bet on that, parents fought and got wet for that
Hosed down, bit by dogs, and got blacks into house arrest for that
It's all good except for that - we still poor
Money, power and respect is what we kill for, for real

[Chorus] - repeat through interlude

[Interlude]
August 4, 2001
A drunken police officer mows down an entire family in Brooklyn
The judge lets him go with no bail
It reminds us, of just how worthless our lives are to the justice system
I struggle, to explain the situation to my son, it's hard

[Verse Two]
Niggaz with knowledge is more dangerous than than niggaz with guns
They make the guns easy to get and try to keep niggaz dumb
Target the gangs and graffiti with the Prop 21
I already know the deal but what the fuck do I tell my son?
I want him livin right, livin good, respect the rules
He's five years old and he still thinkin cops is cool
How do I break the news that when he gets some size
He'll be percieved as a threat or see the fear in they eyes
It's in they job description to terminate the threat
So 41 shots to the body is what he can expect
The precedent is set, don't matter if he follow the law
I know I'll give my son pride and make him swallow it all (damn!)
Fuck the pigs! I think the pigs killed Big and 'Pac too
If they didn't they know who did, they got to!
Who they serve and protect, nigga not you
Cops shot off of ten G's but they got glocks too
Let you protect yourself, or better yet respect yourself
Straight into the hospital is where you gotta check yourself
They be gettin tips from snitches and rival crews
Doin them favors so they workin for the drug dealers too
Just business enforcers with hate in they holsters
Shoot you in the back, won't face you like a soldier
Kurt Loder asked me what I say to a dead cop's wife
Cops kill my people everyday, that's life

[Chorus] - repeat through final interlude

[Final Interlude]
September 11, 2001
Terrorists attack the Pentagon and the World Trade Center
Kills thousand and permanently scars America's false sense of security
We see the best examples of humanity in the face of the worst
As fire fighters, police officers, rescue workers
and volunteers of all sorts, fight to save lives
The world will never be the same again

[Verse Three]
My heart go out to everybody at Ground Zero
Red, black, yellow, white and brown heroes
It's more complicated than black and white
To give your own life is the greatest sacrifice
But it's hard for me to walk down the block
Seeing rats and roaches, crack viles and 40 ounce posters
People broken down from years of oppression
Become patriots when they way of life is threatened
It's a hard conversation to have
We lost kids, moms and dads, people ready to fight for the flag
Damn, when did shit get this bad?
America kill the innocent too, the cycle of violence is sad
Damn! Welcome to the world, we here
We've been at, war for years but it's much more clear (yeah)
We got to face what lies ahead
Fight for our truth and freedom and, ride for the dead

Well, if you want to discuss the lyrical values, then here's my 2 cents. I agree with a lot of what was said, but in my opinion, all credibility is lost when you say something like, "Fuck the pigs! I think the pigs killed Big and 'Pac too". Like I said, I agree with a lot of those opinions, but to play devils advocat, how am I supposed to take anything he says seriously if he also comes out and makes completely unfounded claims and accusations.

the key part of that state ment was i "think"
not the pigs killed big
but he thinks, his own personal thought
just like i think your ignorant,,,not really,,, just using that as an example,
more over i give kwali lots of credit for being one of most thoughtful members of the hip hop community

__________________
og nsmb memeber 121
keeping it real science 1984
any one have a vw mk2 16v for sale

Originally posted by signature the key part of that state ment was i "think"
not the pigs killed big
but he thinks, his own personal thought
just like i think your ignorant,,,not really,,, just using that as an example,
more over i give kwali lots of credit for being one of most thoughtful members of the hip hop community

werd!

he's allowed to comment. one of the most predominant rappers in brooklyn. hes got the right to view what he wants on the biggie/pac thing. besides, it's an unsolved murder. anyone ccoulda done it, you sayin he can't suggest it was the police? i very much doubt biggie got killed by cops, and personally i think tupac got killed by suge knight. or someone related.

funny that a group like rage against the machine can cover fuck the police and it's a rad song in the eyes of almost everyone, this dudes talkin about explainin it all to his kid and suggesting the police aint treating people fairly and he's got nothing credible to say? look through the stereotype, cause once you do hip hop is alot more appealing. with this "what the fuck is he sayin, quit the accent" it's like saying you don't wanna listen to punk music because they talk with too much of a slurred gruff voice. when really...it varies.